9 – The King of Beetles

“Khh…”, Nanthan fell on his knees. The adrenaline that allowed him to withstand a dozen of David’s kicks has faded away, and the pain caught up to him.

“Nant! Noo!!”, Antonio dashed to his friend, worried.

“I’m fine, Antonio. Just a little tired, is all…”, Nanthan brushed it off. “How about you?”

“I…”, Antonio closed his eyes and tilted his head in shame, “I’m fine, but… but I couldn’t do anything! Gregory spit in my eyes, and that was all it took to get me to let go of the blade!! Meanwhile you took a dozen kicks from the biggest bug I’ve ever seen like it was nothing! If it wasn’t for Darra, the blade would’ve been lost!!”

“Antonio! Get yourself together!”, Nanthan strictly ordered, “First of all… this was the first battle you’ve ever been in… gh!”, Nanthan made a painful expression before continuing, “Second… the blade is still there… we should focus on what is, not what could’ve been. Remember that. Always.”

“A-Are you sure you’re alright? You look like you’re in pain…”, Darra meddled.

“I’m… I’m fine, really.”, Nanthan was stubborn.

“Darra is right! You need to rest, Nant!”, Antonio insisted.

“No time… besides… if you think THIS is bad… heh… you should’ve seen how I looked when I fought Hercules…”, Nanthan smiled and got up. “Speaking of the mad lad…”, he turned towards Hercules, who was also slowly getting up.

“You good, hero?”, Nanthan teased his old friend.

“Heh…”, Hercules looked at Nanthan and grinned, “Never been better! Head hurts a little from the fall, but I’ll be fine!”

“Good… unlike our intruders, we managed to escape relatively unharmed…”, Nanthan said as he looked at the giant severed leg that was laying next to Hercules.

“Wh-Who the hell were those guys anyway?”, Darra asked.

“Well… if I am correct… their boss – Edgar – was at Gregor’s place at the same time as we were… he mentioned overhearing me mention to Gregor that the blades we’re carrying are none other than Ozara’s feather blades… Considering their immeasurable value I would assume that’s what they were after…”

“T-THOSE ARE OZARA’S BLADES?!!”, Hercules was shocked seeing the magnificent weapons in front of him.

“Yes…”

“AND YOU TOLD THAT OLD GREEDY BASTARD ABOUT IT?!!?”, Hercules was now shocked at the incredible foolishness of his friend’s act…

“Yeeeaahhhh… not my wisest decision…”, Nanthan admitted.

“No shit!”, Hercules was frustrated.

“So…”, Antonio calmed down and asked: “What do we do now, Nanthan? Where do we go?”

“Hmmm…”, Nanthan thought for a moment then said: “Well… first we see with them.”, he looked at Hercules, then at Darra and asked them both: “What about you?”

“Well… since I can’t stay here… Yer gonna pay for the damage by allowing me to be yer companion in this… mission yer on!”, Hercules said with a smile.

“Heh… alright! But you’ve seen how dangerous this journey is… so don’t say I didn’t warn you when someone kicks your ugly butt!”, Nanthan mocked his friend.

“Heh… says someone who looks more beat up than when I fought ya!”, Hercules mocked back.

“And you, Darra?”, Nanthan looked at the old ladybug, who seemed quite shaken by all the things that have happened.

“I… I’m sorry… I want… I think I want to stay hereeeee… I’m sorry…”, Darra felt guilty.

“You don’t need to apologize, Darra… we understand. You have the Trao I gave you… so you should be able to survive for a bit… but… try to find some kind of job if you can… something that’s not begging on the rotten streets of this fallen city…”, Nanthan said sentimantally.

“I… I will, Nanthan… thank you…”, Darra replied.

“Darra!”, Antonio came close to the purple ladybug and hugged her. “Thank you.”, Antonio let go of her and added: “Without you, the CoTiDu Trio would’ve stolen my blade.”

“I… you’re welcommmme.”, Darra smiled.

“Antonio!”, Nanthan called out for him, “Let’s go! We got no time to waste!”

“Bye, Darra! And good luck!”, Antonio ran to his two co-adventurers.

“Bye, Antonio! Bye… Nanthan… Hercules… thank you…”, Darra stayed in the torn-down house for a while, watching the three get farther and farther away, until they became just three little dots…

A few minutes have passed since the three left Hercules’s old house. They were moving in silence for a few more minutes before Antonio finally asked: “Where are we headed?”

“Oh… right… sorry…”, Nanthan once again forgot that he should tell his companion where they are going when he decides they should go somewhere, “You see, Hercules suggested something really smart! And ‘smart’ is not something you hear often from him.”

“Ha!”, Hercules laughed, but was visibly irritated.

“And… that is?”, Antonio was curious.

“Well… if there is one bug that would know something about the Knights – especially the knights born in BeetleField – that would have to be… him…”, Nanthan responded to Antonio’s question.

“I… I don’t think I’m following… who is ‘him’?”, Antonio did not understand.

“Well the King of BeetleField, of course!”, Nanthan turned to Antonio and made a gesture with his top legs, imitating a person wearing a crown. “King Staggeron the Great!”

“Woah!”, Antonio looked at Hercules, “Are we really going to see the King?!!”, Antonio was excited.

“You bet we are, kid!”, Hercules gave Antonio a high-one[1].

“Yes. Hercules knows where the Palace is located, so we’re headed that way…”, Nanthan added.

A few more minutes have passed, and the three entered a tunnel that Hercules said led to the Palace.

“Say, Antonio… How much do you know about King Staggeron?”, Nanthan asked.

“Hmmm… not that much…”, Antonio admitted, “I know that he’s a stag beetle and that he’s old… like, really old… but that’s about it.”

“Well… we have a few more minutes to go before we get to the Palace, right, Hercules?”

“Yup.”, Hercules nodded.

“Good…”, Nanthan glanced at Antonio, “I think you should know a little more than the King’s age, so… how about I tell you about him?”

“Sure! I love your stories!”

“Alright then, listen. King Staggeron, also known as Staggeron the Great, is one of the oldest bugs in whole of Castanea! He’s older than our Queen Elderanta, and he was a personal friend with our previous Queen, Queen Antlantia, too. Some even say he’s as old as MasterKing Dabir himself!

Bobant told me stories from when he was a child. Anthill and BeetleField have always been in good terms with one another. That was mostly due to the respect King Staggeron earned throughout the seasons.”

Nanthan got very close to Antonio’s face, then whispered: “Some even say…”, he made a dramatic pause before continuing, “Some say that he had a romantic affair with Queen Antlantia.”

“WHA-”, Antonio’s mouth got wide open, and so did his eyes, before Nanthan put his leg on Antonio’s mouth saying: “Shhhh. Those are just… unconfirmed rumours one would call them…”

“Heh!”, Hercules laughed and commented: “Not gonna lie, your Queen is quite a lady, if I say so! I wouldn’t be surprised if good ol’ Staggeron wanted a piece of- OUCH!”, Nanthan hit Hercules.

“Do not. Disrespect our Queen.”, Nanthan was serious.

“But I wasn’t-”

“Enough!”, Nanthan raised one of his top legs, gesturing the end of the conversation. “Anyhow… King Staggeron is well known around Castanea, not only due to his age and wisdom, but also due to him uniting all kinds of beetle folks together! As you know, unlike us, ants, there are dozens – if not hundreds of types of beetles… and, a long time ago, they would never get along with each other! That was until Staggeron came along and, with both his incredible might and amazing diplomatic skills, showed that if they were united they could live in a much better and safer place!

This was more than enough for Staggeron to earn the trust of every beetle, and this is precisely why – besides Anthill – BeetleField is the only kingdom which has never had any rebellion… anyone trying to overtake the throne… a scene far too common in the rest of Castanea.”

“Especially those damned wasps!”, Hercules added, “Those bastards kill each other every other season or something crazy like that…”

“Not really that often, but you get the point…”, Nanthan said.

“Wow… The King of Beetles sounds like a really great guy…”, Antonio then turned to Hercules and asked: “Are you sure he’s going to let us visit?”

“Heh, kid… of course he’ll let us!”, Hercules was confident.

“Why are you so certain, Hercules?”, Nanthan’s curiosity was peaked too.

“Heh… well that’s simple, Nanthan… The future of entire Castanea depends on it, that’s why!”, Hercules answered, as the three finally reached the front of the Palace.

* * *

Meanwhile, the entrance to the BeetleField:

The old dung beetle was still in shock after witnessing not one – but two ants enter BeetleField an hour or two ago…

So one could imagine the further shock he felt, when yet another lone ant showed up, requesting to enter the tunnel that lead to the city above…

“How much for you to let me through?”, Tan asked in a serious tone.

“What’s up with you ants today? Was there a rebellion or something? I doubt Elderanta would open Anthill’s Gates all of a sudden-”

“Answer my question!”, Tan was impatient.

‘He mentioned other ants… this must mean Antonio was here!! So I was right… they are in BeetleField!!’, Tan thought to himself.

The old beetle looked irritated by Tan’s rudeness, but answered none the less: “4 Trao.”

Tan gave the required Trao to the guard, and the latter lifted the heavy gate for the third[2] time in the same day.

Tan passed through, with 50 Trao left to his name, and the old beetle let the heavy gate down.

“I remember ant folks being much nicer… I guess time have changed…”, the old beetle mumbled to himself, yet he could not help but smile, for he could feel that something big was happening around him, and – while he may never know what exactly – it makes him happy to feel like he was a part of it…

A part of something big…

Something that would change Castanea forever…